Innholdsfortegnelse for 12/12/2022 i The Big Issue

I often wonder if the reason the world is too complex and difficult to handle is that we spend so much time blaming it for things that we dislike, but which we are part of. It might be a realisation that hit me because of a discussion I had last week with some people about police corruption. As I listened to them talk about this rotten reality, my mind drifted into the below line of thinking. The problem of what in my former parlance was called ‘bent coppers’ continues. But it’s not just rotten officers; there are many other things that earn our disdain and hatred. The heartlessness of small merchants and small operators, whose businesses become huge because the public supports and purchases from them, continues. As does the…

KIDS COVER COMPETITION From snowmen to carol singers, cuddly cats to smiling Santas, the imagination and talent on show in this year’s Big Issue Christmas Kids Cover Competition has blown us away. Hundreds of creative kids submitted artworks spreading a festive message of comfort and joy, and we’re delighted to share some of the best on pages 22 and 23. It was a very tough call, but this year’s star prize went to 10-year-old Fergus Rutherford-Moyler, from Glasgow, for his ingenious snowman vendor collage. “Wow, that’s great!” said Fergus, who’s a bit camera-shy nature and didn’t want to have his picture taken. “I like The Big Issue, so I got some magazines and some paper and I cut shapes and put them together. I was just going to have a…

DOLLY PARTON Will always love Johnny Cash I was about 13 when I first met Johnny Cash and that’s when Johnny was all strung out on drugs and everything, but he was so magnetic, so sexy. He was my first male grown-up crush, he just really moved me. That’s when I realised what hormones do and what sex appeal really means. He just kind of stirred me somehow. And so I guess that’s when I realised I was becoming a little woman. Oh, we laughed about it through the years. I told him, you know you were my very first crush, my first sexy grown-up crush. He always got a kick out of that. ROSE MCGOWAN Activist and campaigner hits back When you fight the machine it fights back. I…

KIDS’ BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2022 Inventive, enlightening and LOUD, these were the essential children’s reads this year Ages 0-6 1 There’s a Ghost in this HouseBy Oliver Jeffers (HarperCollins, £20) World-renowned children’s author and artist Jeffers needs no introduction, as I always say when introducing yet another gem from the great Belfast writer. This story, ostensibly about a little girl searching for rumoured ghouls in a fully furnished, deserted old house, is particularly exquisite and imagination-sparking. The simple comic-book illustration of our intrepid explorer stands beautifully against photorealistic images of various rooms, some of which come with estate agent-style architectural descriptions. Between every page is a semi-opaque cover page, some of which are blank, some of which reveal ghostly presences. Young children will enjoy the game of hide and…

Between the Australian tour and the New Zealand Tour with Brian Cox, I find time to stand alone in the vestibule of England’s crumbling infrastructure for a couple of weeks. I am hopping from independent bookshop to independent bookshop to talk and sign books if wanted. It is exhilarating. Bookshop people are the best people. Last year, after a big tour was postponed, I decided to visit 108 independent bookshops for fun. This fun led to a book. I am now visiting bookshops to talk about my book about visiting bookshops and I hope that this might lead to a book about visiting bookshops after writing a book about visiting bookshops. There is nowhere that I am happier. Books to me are weapons of empathy. Read well, and your vision…

JOBS How people with learning disabilities are overcoming stigmas to help the NHS recruitment crisis If you’re labelled as having a learning disability or autism, the low expectations others place on you can encourage low expectations of yourself. It sounds harsh, but it’s the lived experience of many people in the UK who are exploited or ignored. Workplaces are desperate for more hands on deck. Britain is facing a recruitment crisis, with around 1.2 million vacancies, and economists warn it’s slowing down growth when the country needs to bounce back from Brexit and the pandemic. At the same time, just 4.8 per cent of adults with a learning disability are in paid employment. Many more end up taking part-time or voluntary roles and this is a massive waste of talent,…

Well, well, well. 2022. What a year. War. World Cup. Wagatha Christie. There’s been so much drama, it’s given Netflix and all those other streaming services a proper run for their money. Who needs to binge-watch House of Cards or The Crown when you’ve got the latest season of them both going on right now in real time on the news channels? It’s quite extraordinary. All it needs is a catchy title. ‘2022’ is too obvious. I’m calling it ‘Three Prime Ministers and a Funeral’. That’s got a good ring to it. On top of all those shenanigans, it’s also been a big year for ol’ Binface. Fresh from my triumph of being dubbed officially London’s ninth choice to be mayor in the 2021 election, over the last 12 months…

The energy crisis is a global issue, borne out of the perfect post-Covid storm. When economies began to reopen energy demand skyrocketed – but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine choked gas supplies into Europe. Wholesale gas prices soared, meaning energy suppliers paid more, then passed the cost on to customers. But – thanks to high reliance on gas for heating, poorly insulated homes and one of the least generous benefits systems in Europe – the UK was uniquely vulnerable. For Gary, who had to give up work to look after his wife, carer’s allowance amounts to around 41p per hour Gary and Natasha, near Peterborough, plus their three children are one of many families feeling extraordinary pressure. The pair married in June 2017, and four months later Natasha – now 51,…

Subscriptions are set up to give our vendors more opportunities to make sales Did you know that you can buy The Big Issue from a vendor anywhere in the country? Our subscriptions service allows you to order a three, six or 12-month package, meaning that the latest editions of the magazine will be delivered to your house every week. We know what you’re thinking. You’re holding a copy in your hands that you probably bought from your local vendor. That’s great. Our subscriptions are set up to give our vendors more opportunities to make sales. Using a map on our website, you can find a vendor in your area and buy a subscription that benefits them – with half of net profits going directly to their pocket. So if you…

It started with a WhatsApp message from an old friend. Actually, it didn’t START with the message. But that certainly changed direction of travel, for a little time. He sent me a link to a live performance from Tom Waits doing Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis. That is one of the great songs, the GREAT songs. And that’s saying something. Tom Waits is one of the original, and one of the last, great American songwriters. His body of work is out of sight. We talk about Tom Waits from time to time on this particular WhatsApp group. It’s a small group, just three of us, men in middle age, old friends, talking about football, politics, music, mocking each other and rarely mentioning our children. On this particular day…

Get in touch The Big Issue, 2nd floor, 43 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 1HW letters@bigissue.com @bigissue /bigissueUK @bigissueuk @thebigissue Independent thought Thank you for the reasoned and sympathetic piece on the independence movement in Scotland [Issue 1541, November 28]. I was born in England, but my late husband was a Scot and I’ve lived here for 25 years. While England has lurched into a racist, extreme right-wing society, Scotland is moving towards a role as a small independent European nation with an outward-looking culture that values all those who want to live here, and be part of a happier, healthier and fairer society. It’s frustrating that so many English people move here for free prescriptions, free university tuition and free prescriptions for example, yet still want to remain in a…

Meet Frank McGucken. For two decades, he lived on the street or would scrape together enough money to rest his head at hostels. He’s dealt with abuse and addiction. But Frank is a grafter. He was one of the very first people to sell The Big Issue. He’s been with us, on and off, ever since. These days Frank, 51, lives with his wife, Inna, in one of the wealthiest areas of the UK. They are happy and comfortable in their small Peabody Housing Association flat in Chelsea Barracks in West London, yards from some of the most expensive properties in the UK. His home is spotless. He’s proud as punch, and so he should be. “This hasn’t come easy. I’ve had to graft for everything,” he says. “I’ve made…

Frequent Street Art contributor Rene is 95 years old. She works regularly with the 240Project, an arts and health activity centre in London for people affected by isolation, homelessness and exclusion. Subject of a recent feature in The Big Issue, the project currently faces eviction from its home of 24 years. Rene travels for more than an hour, on three buses, to make her art. “Imagine travelling so far at that age,” says 240Project co-leader Simon Parker. “But, she feels safe here, she knows the people, it shows the sense of community she feels here. And she makes amazing work.” If you can help find 240Project a new space, email us at editorial@bigissue.com…